![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-300x200.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has dismissed the allegations made by detained Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan against Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu.
Omokri described the claims as a “false flag” operation meant to divert attention from revelations that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allegedly funded Boko Haram.
In a statement on Thursday via his verified X account, Omokri questioned the timing of Gambaryan’s accusations, pointing out that they came just an hour after U.S. Congressman Scott Perry claimed that some American officials had been channeling funds to Boko Haram.
“This is a man who has been roaming free in the United States for weeks. Why now?” Omokri asked, suggesting that Gambaryan was working for foreign agencies involved in economic sabotage against Nigeria. He accused Binance of facilitating the illegal outflow of $25 billion annually from the country.
Omokri further linked Binance’s removal from Nigeria to the naira’s rapid appreciation, noting “Nigerians may also recall that after Binance was delisted by the government and ceased operating in Nigeria, the naira rose sharply, appreciating by 36.4% in one day.
“This prompted President Tinubu to issue a statement on video praising the ‘seismic shift’ of our currency, which had gone from N1,598 to $1 on Thursday, 21 March 2024, to N1,382 to $1 the following day, Friday, 22 March 2024.”
He argued that Gambaryan’s claims were an attempt to overshadow recent reports that USAID made multimillion-dollar annual payments to Boko Haram.
Omokri alleged that these payments coincided with periods when the Obama and Biden administrations refused to sell weapons to Nigeria, suggesting a deliberate effort to undermine the country’s fight against terrorism.
Defending the National Security Adviser, Omokri stated, “Malam Nuhu Ribadu is an incorruptible leader who, as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, refused a $15 million cash bribe in 2006 and instead deposited the funds at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“Tigran Gambaryan is an allegedly corrupt economic saboteur who worked against Nigeria’s economic interests for people whom Congressman Perry has now exposed as funders of terror.
“Who should you believe? The answer is obvious. This is a pure case of corruption fighting back.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
